Jinkies, We've Got A Mystery
by mydarlingjuliet
Summary: What happens when you mix together the famous mystery solvers of Mystery Inc. and the professional ghost hunters of SPR? Well jinkies, you've got a mystery on your hands. Full Summary Inside. This is going to be a good one, I guarantee it. Mai x Naru.
1. Encountered

**Jinkies, We've Got A Mystery…**

Summary: What happens when you mix together the famous mystery solvers of Mystery Inc. and the professional ghost hunters of SPR? Well jinkies, you've got a mystery on your hands. SPR gets a call from a client residing in Florida, which is in North America, all the way across the world from our ghost hunters. What is it that makes this case so urgent, exciting, and dangerous enough that SPR is sent to America? And why is it that another group of people- Mystery Inc., happen to be there, too? Fred and his gang solving this mystery out of logic and the belief that ghosts don't exist. Naru and his associates working on putting the ghost to rest and cleansing this haunted house. The two teams, both going into this case head on with different ways of thinking, will experience new things, make rivals, and even gain a few friends. Well, only if they can work together. But why does Naru have such hatred toward Mystery Inc.?

**Chapter One: Encountered-**

I looked up as the door chimed, alarming us of a potential client making their way in. With a smile playing at my lips, I stood from my place at the secretary's desk and made my way over to the door. A woman of her late thirties nervously stepped forward, taking in her surroundings. She had lightly tan skin, hazel green eyes, and bouncy wood brown hair. Not from around Japan, I noted. The lady seemed distraught. As she locked eyes with mine, I brightened my smile.

"Hello, miss. This is Shibuya Psychic Research, I'm Taniyama Mai, but please, call me Mai. Have you scheduled an appointment?" I asked.

The woman jumped slightly and bit at her lip, "No… I'm sorry, was I supposed?" I was a bit surprised to hear her speak perfectly fluent Japanese, with a slight Kansai accent.

I laughed and answered, "No, that's alright. Please, take a seat, "I motioned towards the couch as I walk. "I will go and get my boss. May I offer you a cup of tea? Or water, if you'd like."

She nodded gratefully, "Tea, please, Mai-san. Thank you." I nodded and sauntered towards the kitchen for tea, first. On my way, I vaguely looked behind me to see the woman twiddling her thumbs, looking even more anxious than when she first walked in.

While the water boiled in its pot, I pondered over what the case could be about. My stupor was caught short by the inevitable shriek of the kettle. I set to work on getting two cups of my special blend of Earl Gray for the workaholics, a cup of Chamomile Tea for the potential client and regular Green Tea for myself. Once the brews were done, I place them on a silver tray and carried it out into the living room.

Knocking on Naru's door I called, "Naru, there's a client." And just to be sure he would come out quicker I added, "I have your tea.

Smirking I left for Lin's door, tapping it twice. That was something I worked out with him, since he wasn't one for talking. He's worse than Naru. One knock means I'm coming in, two for a client, three for an emergency, and four if Naru needed him. I mean, Nary calling for Lin is shoddier than an emergency. I giggled to myself.

Soon both men and I were seated on the plush leather seats of the couch. I handed each cup out to its owner, lay the tray on the end table to the couch, and rested myself in between Naru and Lin.

"Miss…?" I inquired. The woman sat upright and cleared her throat, "My name is Celia Jennings. I have a request for you."

I could make out Naru quirking an eyebrow silently from the corner of my eye and grinned. That's so like him.

"And that request would be, Jennings-san?" Lin wondered. I almost chocked at the fact he spoke up. Normally he just sits there and types away facts and what not on his wife: the laptop.

Instead I coughed. Well, it sounded more like a cat hacking on a fur ball, but, I'll just say it was a cough. All eyes were on me for a moment. Naru glaring, but amusement somewhat noted in his eyes. Lin with a smile barely etched onto his features.

The tension in the room lessened and Celia seemed to thank me with her eyes. "The request is from a very good relative of mine in Florida."

My eyes sparkled and I sat up straighter, Florida? In America?

"You see, I live here in Japan, and my younger sister lives down in America. We've always been close and I help her out through thick and thin. Recently, she's been calling me more frequently, scared out of her mind. She owns a large estate, a campsite, actually. Every summer she holds a camp out on her island. A battle of the sex's sort of thing. It's a rare thing, to have a kid's summer camp on an island. Well anyway, strange things have been happening over the past two weeks. All camps have their share of 'ghost stories' and camp folklore, right? But, normally that folklore isn't true. _Normally_ it's just stories the camp counselors make up to scare the kids."

Naru finished what everyone was thinking, "But at your sister's camp, that isn't the case, is it?" It was posed at a question but sounded more like a statement.

Celia just grinned meekly, "That is correct. The legends have been coming true and more and more weird things besides that are happening." 

"Like?" Naru questioned?" "Like every story you'll hear, happens. The kids at camp claim they've been visited by a peculiar seeming angel in their sleep. Only the girls, though. And the strangest part about that, is that their all 15." Naru and Lin shared a glance at Mai, unnoticed. Mai just stared at Celia, getting sucked into the details of the case, gasping every now and then and biting her lip.

"Also, some of the girls disappear at random hours of the day, coming back without memory of where they've been and with a weird mark on their left breast. The _same_ mark each time. I haven't seen it yet, though. Messages have been written in the sand on the shore and lastly, the other day during one of their camp activities, one of the children got lost and stumbled into a large hole in the sand away from the path that they have. In that hole was a small underground room, made of bricks and concrete. The room was painted red and on each wall were two single photos. Each of a child from camp. So in total, there were eight photos. Some had large X's on them, and that matched up with the girls who had the mark. Those girls remain at camp, just in case. My sister has yet to notify the parents, and hopes that this mystery can be solved before camp ends at the end of summer. Five of the pictures have X's on them and three are left. My sister has those three girls monitored and sleeping in her cabin. Please, I really wish you could accept this case, for the sake of my sister and the victims at her camp. We are willing to pay any price, to give you plane tickets. Just please, accept the request."

By now, tears were threatening to spill from her eyes, and mine, too. I reached my hand out and took hold of Celia's, giving it a tight squeeze.

"And what has lead you and your sister to believe it is paranormal?" Naru told her.

"Naru!" I snapped. "We'll take your case, Celia-san!" My long lasting love glared at me, "I do not believe that you call the shots, Mai."

I returned the stare, "Don't tell me that you aren't interested, Naru, because I know you are! And besides, this woman needs help. Her sister needs help. C'mon, please Naru! Onegai…" I pleaded, looking into his eyes.

A miniscule pink tinted his cheeks. I didn't notice though, I was too busy being teary-eyed. He turned his head so he was looking at the wall. He pondered silently for a moment and then nodded with a sigh, "Very well. Leave your contact information with my assistant, Mai, Jennings-san. I can take care of flight costs. Expect to see us in three days."

With that last note, Naru stood and left for his man cave. Lin followed in suit, but instead, went into Naru's office. I smiled wide once more and wiped the side of my eyes, calming down. Celia did the same.

"Arigato, arigato, arigato…" She kept re-saying. I shook my head, "Ie, I'm glad we could help, Celia-san.

She finally looked up, trembling a bit but better than earlier. Sticking a hand into her purse, she fished out two business cards. "This has the campsite's phone number, address to the port which brings the campers to the island, and my sister's email. This one," She told me, indicating the second card, "has my home and cell phone numbers, email address, and my home address."

I took the cards from her hands, looking them over. Once I finished I replied, "Okay, thank you. We will require three rooms, er, cabins. Make sure they have a lot of plugs…if that's possible."

She nodded, "Yes, the cabins have access to plugs. We've gotten that installed. Three rooms? Alright, I'll tell my sister. I shall see you soon, Mai-san. Thank you, again."

"You will be coming to the camp, then?"

"Yes, I will. I'm a doctor so I thought…it would be nice if I went." She went on.

I added, "Oh, good. We also have a doctor on our team, but you know what they say. The more, the merrier." We both laughed together, feeling happier. Our client got up and bowed, taking her leave. As soon as the door to SPR closed shut, I sunk further into the couch, massaging my temples. This was going to be quite a case. Springing up, a new determination hit me. This time, I am going to be useful. Not just the tea maker, or the one who always needs saving, or the temperature reader. Nope, I'm going to solve this case! I skipped across the room to the phone, ready to dial everyone up.

Velma hung up the phone, turning to her friends. "Guys, we've got a mystery on our hands." Shaggy and Scooby exchanged looks before attempting to dash off.

Fred grabbed them both by the collar, "Now hold it you two. You're a part of this team, too."

Shaggy groaned, "But, like man we don't want to go. Whenever a mystery comes up, _we_ are always the ones getting chased down by goblins and ghouls. Not cool."

Scooby bobbed his head in agreement, "Ruh uh."

Daphne frowned, bending down, "Would you do it for…a box of Scooby snacks?"

Both of their heads bolted upwards, "Scooby snacks?" They asked.

Daphne nodded. "A whole box, just for you two."Without another word, the duo agreed, licking their lips.

Fred sighed and let out a chuckle. "The things you guys do for Scooby snacks…" Everyone joined him laughing.

"So Velma, when do we head out? And to where?" Fred asked the genius teen.

She only smiled, putting her hands behind her back and clasping them together, "Florida, at an island camp, Fred. And we can head out tomorrow. We're supposed to be there in three days, so that'll give us enough time to get there by car."

Daphne squealed in delight, "Florida! The beach, the sand, the guys!" Fred coughed and again everyone was in a laughing fit.

Shaggy thought aloud, adding to the laughter, "Like, I hope it's nothing like the Camp Little Moose adventure."

"Why so soon though, Velms?" Shaggy inquired. "Yeah, three days _is_ short notice…" Fred added.

Velma only tilted her glasses, her face passive for a moment. "Well, this is no ordinary mystery, you guys. Apparently the camp we're going to investigate at has also hired professional ghost hunters, also. We are supposed to be there at the same time. The camp owner's sister had a hard time getting these people to take their case up, so they don't know that we are going to be there, yet."

Scooby trembled and hugged Shaggy, "Rhosts?"

"Oh, but c'mon Velma! We all know ghosts don't _actually_ exist, right?" Daphne thought aloud. It was silent. She coughed.

"Well, all of my logic is based off of science, so my answer would have to be no, Daphne. But these people are professionals, and famous too. Who knows who they could be?" She answered.

Fred grimaced, "Well I for one believe in ghosts. And I can't wait to meet these guys! I mean, ghost hunting must be so cool! Imagine, they could be dressed in all black like spies and have high tech laser guns and-"

His imagination was cut off by Velma speaking, "Fred," she warned. He sighed, "Yeah, yeah."

**Time Lapse; Three Days Later-**

The taxi car pulled up to Bay Port, the docking area which leads us to the island. Bou-san's, Ayako's and Yasuhara's taxi followed behind, and behind them was John and Masako. Before the vehicle came to a complete stop, I hopped out, appreciative to be on land again, on foot. I would have kissed the floor, but refrained from it. A few seconds later, everyone was out of their taxis, equipment and luggage in tow and the cars were driving off.

I smiled happily and ran over to the edge of the large, baby blue, concrete dock. I stuck my hands out and closed my eyes, letting the breezed ruffle my short hair and dance with fabric of my strapless, white sundress.

The angelic white bow in my hair flew out behind me and when I turned to go retrieve it, I felt my feet misguide themselves and I was falling into the water, about ten feet below me. I closed my eyes, waiting for the splash, but it never came. Instead, a pair of strong arms wrapped around my waist, pulling me into them. I blushed mad crazy as I pulled away, looking into the deep blue eyes of my boss.

"Next time, Mai, desist from jumping off the dock. It's not very clever," he retorted, gently tying the bow back in my hair, his back in the way so no one but I saw.

I widened my eyes but before I could utter a word, he was gone. My mouth was gaped open.

As he walked back towards the sniggering others, he called, "Close your mouth Mai, or you'll catch flies." I swiftly shut my mouth and glared, sticking my tongue out in a childish manner.

"Hmph," I muttered, stalking over to everyone else. For a moment there, he was very…un-Naru like. I thought it could've been a dream…until he said the last part.

Bou-san ruffled my hair, "Be lucky your prince narcissist caught you Mai-chan~" I swatted at his hand and he laughed. Luckily, Ayako came to my rescue, thwapping Bou-san upside the head with her purse.

"OUCH! Woman, what the hell was that for?" He yelped.

She rolled her eyes, "Be nice to Mai!" He seemed aghast.

"WHAT! I was only teasing her! Calm yourself, grandma!" Double Thwap. Ayako growled and walked off next to John, who sweat dropped.

I smiled. Naru and Lin were as stoic as ever, (but I'm starting to doubt Naru's stoicism a tad) leading us to the right boat since there were so many. Ayako, John and Masako had small talk together while Yasuhara and Bou-san were evilly planning something. I could tell. They had that mischievous glint in their eyes. Yes, the one that looks like a diamond in the eye on anime shows. Keiko-chan has made me watch so much of her anime, I've memorized everything. I shivered.

The boat was extraordinary! Large, almost like a mini yacht and has spaces for cars, too. The whole boat was snow white with a teal borderline color, and the edges were black rubber. The left side of the boat says Battle S. Camp in a cursive font, and beside the name were the gender signs. Around the edges at the front of the boat was a metal. The bars were metal and the handles (top and side bars) were a light wood color.

Poor John got seasick during the first five minutes of the hour long ride. He was being talked to by Ayako. I was sitting at the very front of the boat, my legs slipped through the railings and dangling off the boat, my shoes beside me. I laid back a bit, propping my elbows behind me.

"Boo." Someone whispered in my ear. I jumped, a hand flying to my mouth. I turned and glared at the culprit- Yasuhara.

"Yasu, you scared me!"I shrieked. He only chuckled, taking a seat next to me.

"What's up, Mai-chan?" I lifted my eyebrow at him suspiciously but didn't press further.

I replied, "Not much, Yasu-kun. Sitting on a boat, watching John heave up, the usual." I grinned. We laughed in unison.

"Mai-chan?" Yasuhara finally asked. I tilted my head at him. "Well," he began, "what would you do if I told you that I had another ingenious plan. A plan that could get you and your future hubby together during this case." His eyebrows did a little dance and I punched his arm playfully, giggling.

"Nope. There is _no_ way I'm going along with anymore of _your_ plans. And plus, Naru doesn't like me, we all know he likes Masako," I flushed, turning my head away.

He tsked me, "You silly, silly girl. Well, suit yourself, but I'll work my magic anyways," he cracked his knuckles and winked at me, going back to talk with Bou-san. I sighed, face palming.

This _can't _be good, I thought.

Shaggy and Scooby dined on sandwiches in the back of the Mystery Machine, filling up for the boat ride, the main dish. Daphne grabbed the map off of the dashboard. She flipped it around a few times and her end result was groaning.

"Fred," she whined, "how much longer until we get to the Port?"

He took his eyes off of the road for a moment to look at her, "Another five minutes, Daph." He reassured her.

She sunk into her seat, "Thank goodness. We've been driving for almost 36 hours!"

Velma countered, "Plus the time spent stopping at restaurants for the two in the back, "she illustrated, pointing her thumb backwards. Shaggy and his partner looked up with a face full of food, turkey falling out of their mouths.

Shaggy swallowed his helping whole and answered, "But man, we like, get hungry," and chuckled, rubbing at his stomach. Scooby approved of that retort and went back to stuffing his face.

Daphne giggled and Fred chuckled at the two. Always the same.

"Look," Fred started, "it's the Port." He drove up to Dock 17 and saw a large boat. There was a tubby man inside, sitting on a chair.

Fred stopped, "Wait here a moment, guys."Opening up his door, he approached the boat. He looked up, shielding his eyes from the glare of the sun with his back hand.

Cupping both together he called, "Excuse me, sir," until he got the man's attention. The tubby guy got to his feet, shuffling to the edge of the boat, peering down.

"Oh yes, how may I help you, lad?" "Well you see, my pals and I are here for the camp, Battle S. Camp?"

The man eyed Fred for a second before letting down the launch for cars to get on, "Bring your car up."

The mystery solver jogged back to his car, started it up and drove into the ferry. Once he stopped, he rolled the window down and said, "Thank you, sir. I'm Fred Jones, and this is my team, here."

Looking at every individual in the car, tubby was satisfied, putting a grin on his face, his mustache curling upwards. "Alright then, make yourselves comfortable and it'll be another hour journey, son."

Daphne inwardly sighed. "Yippee," she muttered, voice dripping in sarcasm.

Shaggy gulped down another serving of food and piped up. "Like, that ain't so bad, Scoobs. Gives us more chow time, right buddy?"

The canine slurped up some mayo, "Rummy~"

Velma roller her eyes, smiling ever so lightly, and turned to the gang, "Here, lets step outside and sit at one of those tables. I've looked into the ghost hunters coming to camp, and found some information.

Daphne hopped out of the car happily, "Awesome!"

As Fred was leaving the car, he turned back and looked at the guys, "You wanna come?"

They both shook their heads. Shaggy told him, "No thanks, Fred. Scoobs and I will be fine here."

"Suit yourselves," he supposed. He joined up beside the girls, taking a white plastic chair.

"So what do you have on them, Velma?" Fred queried the thought he and Daphne shared.

The girl lifted her glasses a bit before talking. "It wasn't easy. For being famous, they sure didn't have much info to get a hold of, but luckily I have a pen pal who is friends with these people and he was nice enough to give me a small amount of information on them. I did some additional searching on my own, too," she added, "SPR stands for Shibuya Psychic Research, but also stands for the Society for Psychical Research. The ladder has two main branches. The first in Britain, the second in America. But they are Shibuya Psychic Research. It's a bit suspicious how the names are so similar, so be weary of them."

The two listening nodded along, "But it's only a name, Velma. Pure coincidence." Fred pointed out.

She let out a breath, "Yes, Fred, but still. You can't be too careful. Anyway," Velma continued to talk about the SPR.

"The boss of their business is named Shibuya Kazuya," She was a bit tongue tied at the foreign names but soon got the hang of it. "And get this, he's only 17! Here's his photo." Velma handed her colleges a printed picture.

Daphne gasped, blushing, "He's so hot!" Fred pouted and snagged the picture, handing it back to Velma.

"Thank you, Fred. That's all I could get on him. He has two assistants, Lin Koujo and Taniyama Mai."

Fred wondered, "So Taniyama is that girl's first name?"

"No, in Japan, the surname comes before their first names. So that would be her last name."

"Oh, this one is hot, too…" The girl in lavender noted, picking up the picture of Lin that Velma laid out.

Fred inhaled air, clenching and unclenching his fists. He took the picture, analyzing the guy, and handed it back to their friend.

"Lin Koujo, twenty five years old **A/N: It isn't mentioned in the series. I think he's more like twenty seven, even though he looks young, but I'm going to put him as two years younger(: **and he is an- an onmyouji, which is a specialist in magic and divination. The can keep track of the calendar, or protect from evil spirit, and apparently, they can even summon and control demons!"

Everyone's eyes in the semi-circle widened, looking at the picture of the man before them.

"Can he really do all that, Velma?" "I'm not sure, Fred. It also says here that he's originally from China, and that he is the boss', that guy Kazuya's, guardian."

It was silent for a second, tense. Fred loosened his ascot and gulped, "W-What about that girl? Mai?"

Velma flipped through a folder in her hands and pulled out a few sheets of paper, "Taniyama Mai, 15 years old, a freshman high school student. Average grades. Exceeds in singing, dancing, and cooking. She is an orphan, both of her parents died when she was younger. She has no other blood family. My pen pal- Yasuhara, tells me that she is socially outgoing, kind and always helps others, never thinking of herself. Those were his exact words. She works as Kazuya's second assistant."

Fred looked at the sheet in her hands, scanning through it, "Does she have any crazy power or whatever like that scary looking guy with the hair over his eye- Lint, Clint, Lin?"

Velma flipped to the next page and read on, "She has ESP, which includes post cognitive dreams and clairvoyance. She can also astral project and she shows high levels of intuitive power."

Daphne and her crush looked quizzical, "What is all that?"

The brainiac informed them, "ESP, which is extrasensory perception, or the sixth sense. Here's something on that," she slipped one of her papers out and gave the two a minute to take in the information.

Fred passed it back and looked astonished, "Woah."

"Yeah. Astral Projecting or travel denotes the astral body, leaving the physical body to travel in the astral plane. Basically, an OBE, which is where while you sleep, your spirit leaves your body and goes to a spiritual plane. This girl Mai is supposedly a powerful psychic. According to my pen pal."

Daphne stood, hands on the table, "Huh! But, look at the picture! She's just a high school girl. Look at how fragile she looks. There is _no_ way she could be some sort of powerful psychic."

"Oh, but she apparently is, Daph. I know, it seems impossible, but it's true. Supposedly. That would make up the main SPR. They have five, sometimes 6, people who assist on their cases, one of them, my pen pal. I couldn't get anything on them, though. Yasuhara would only tell me about those three. Don't know why."

"Why are these names so weird?"Daphne posed. Velma only sighed, giving Daph a pat on the back and walked over to another table to do some more research on her computer. Once she was gone, the social teen turned to Fred.

"What do you think about this, Freddy?"

He blinked, "What do you mean?"

"Well, do you think it'll be worth it to go to Battle S. Camp with those ghost hunters? It could be dangerous…"

Fred smiled genuinely, putting an arm around Daphne, "Don't worry," he comforted her, "When has Mystery Inc. ever failed?"

**Time Lapse; One Hour-**

SPR's ship arrived at a smaller wooden dock. I watched as a drawbridge lowered from our boat onto it. One by one we all filed out onto the dark brown board, loading the equipment and luggage with us.

The moment my foot stepped down on the pier, I set everything I had down and collapsed. Bou-san came over and hovered above me, "Hi, Jou-chan."

Smirking, he scooped me up in his arms and dangled me above the crystal clear water. I grasped his shirt in my hands like it were a lifeline and struggled.

"Bou-san, not funny! Put me down!" I begged. He laughed and set me back on my feet. I pressed my lips together and pushed him. He was laughing so hard that he stumbled backwards before falling in himself. I puffed in shock, hearing Ayako's snorting laughter behind me.

He swam up for air and I stifled a laugh, "Gomen, gomen, Bou-san~ I didn't mean to push you _that_ hard. But, that's what you get for _messing with me_." I stuck out my tongue and high fived Yasuhara.

Naru cleared his throat, "I don't pay you all to horse around. Get moving."

We all jumped and John helped Bou-san out of the water. "You'll pay for that one, kid." He teased.

John sweat dropped. A thought came to mind, "Are you feeling better, John-san?"Concern smothered my words and I walked over, putting a hand on his shoulder.

He blushed and muttered, "Yes, thank you Mai-san." I smiled and grabbed some stuff, following everyone else on a beige stone path.

I ran up beside Naru, where Masako kept trying to start a conversation with him, but he just remained silent, answering with the shortest response, yes, no, maybe, most likely, that's improbable. I snickered, earning a glare from behind a certain someone's kimono sleeve.

"Naru?" I asked.

Without looking back at me, he replied, "Yes, Mai?" I beamed.

"Um, do you know where we're going?" I shyly question. I could feel the heat rise to my cheeks for asking such a stupid thing.

"Of course I do. Come now Mai, even someone with a brain as incompetent as yours should be able to understand a simple route. But, I don't expect it from you anyways." It was Masako's turn to smirk, now.

I pouted, what a jerk. _I expect even more_, was what Naru was thinking.

A few minutes later, we were all standing outside of a gigantic wooden cabin labeled REC HALL at the top. We made our way inside, setting everything down and looking around. Everything looked to be made of dark, strong wood. The ceiling was at least fifteen feet high, pretty tall if you ask me. The occasional moose head or animal head hung on the wall, which really freaked me out. And Masako and Ayako, too, because every time they saw one they'd clutch the life out of someone's arm.

A familiar looking woman walked up to us. A click sounded in my head, "Celia-san?"

She shook her head, smiling sorry, "I'm her sister, Selena Jennings. It is very nice to meet you. You must be SPR." So she isn't married.

I decided to surprise the group by saying in almost pretty good English, "It is vewy nice to meetchu, too, Miss Jennings. I am Taniyama Mai, but pwease, call me Mai." And for added effect, instead of bowing I put out my hand and gave her a hearty smile.

Yasu whistled, Bou-san, Ayako, and John gasped faintly, Masako glared, and Naru and Lin looked legitimately surprised. Score one to Mai.

"Thank you and I am very glad you speak English," she complimented, shaking hands with mine.

"Yes, my fweinds like to make fun uf me because I am nut vewy smawt. So, I've been wearning Engulish over the past thwee months," and there goes the stinger. Burrnnnnnn, is what I wanted to scream in everyone's face, but I settled for an innocent grin.

Selena laughed at me, "Well, it sounds divine."

"Tank you, Miss Jennings," I said.

Lin uttered in monotone, "And you've yet to stop amazing us, Taniyama-san." But I heard him. And I was almost sure no one else did. "Thank you, Lin-san," I whispered. He nodded.

"Oh look, here comes the other team."Everyone froze and it got silent.

"Um, _what_ other team?" John asked in English.

"Did my sister not tell you? We've hired two teams to solve this case. A team who fights the paranormal and a team who fights mysteries." I looked over to see how Naru was handling this and unconsciously took a step back.

His eyebrow twitched once and his mask of calmness cracked for an instant.

"Naru-"I started, but he cut me off. "We were under no condition told that my team and I would have to work alongside another group of people, Miss Jennings." Naru speaks English? Go figure, he's smart enough…

Ayako nudged my shoulder, "What did he say, Mai?"

I gazed up at her, "You don't speak English, Ayako?" She shook her head. I began translating whatever was said in English to the best of my abilities.

"Well I distinctly told my sister to-""It doesn't matter what you _told_ her to do, Miss Jennings. It matters that she _didn't _tell us."

"But, please, can't you-""No, I'm very sorry. I cannot work under a client who can't even tell us a simple matter such as that."

"Naru!" I bellowed. He turned to me, slowly becoming more tranquil.

"We both know it's not her fault. It can't be _that_ bad to work with some other people. Just give it a try. Please?" If begging worked the first time, maybe it'll work the second time.

"No." Well, there goes that theory.

Masako stepped forward nonchalantly, sleeve over her mouth, "I'd have to agree with Mai. Surely it wouldn't be _that_ bad."

Bou-san pumped a fist in the air, "Come on, and loosen up! I agree with the lady's, Naru-chan." Putting one arm around Masako and me, he winked at our boss.

Ayako sighed, "Eh, why not," and stepped in line beside us. John quietly stepped forward and Yasuhara slapped Naru's back, "Sorry big boss, I'm with them."

Naru looked at us all and rubbed at his temples, "Very well. After introductions I want you to set up base, pronto. No slacking. If I find one of you sleeping on the job, "he stated, glancing at me, "then you're off the case, clear?"

Everybody agreed. I'll have to remember that. If begging fails, turn to over powerment. But, normally that doesn't work.

The new 'team' walked up to us, giving us suspicious glances but jovial nonetheless.

A man with bleach blonde hair and a bright orange neck tie went up to Naru, shaking hands, "Nice to meet you. I'm Fred Jones. This is my gang, Mystery Inc."

Naru returned the gesture, and bobbed his head once. I eyed the man down. How did he know Naru was the boss? Most people guess Lin-san…

"This would my team, SPR. Shibuya Kazuya." The Fred man was a bit confused on how Naru spoke English. Ayako and I seemed to notice though, and giggled. Fred looked up and Ayako and I, flashing us a cheesy wink.

"Naru-chan's got some competition." Bou-san whistled. John's face flushed in embarrassment and mine blushed for the same reason. Masako's morphed red in anger.

I pointed out, "Then you've got some competition for your lady, too, Bou-san."

He stuttered, "W-What?" I chortled. Naru glared at us from behind and I put my hands up in defense, "Gomen, my lord. I shall abstain from anything fun, "and curtsied.

In Japanese he commented, "Who signs your paycheck, Mai?" My cheeks flared, "Y-You…"He smirked, "Thought so."

The people from Mystery Inc. looked utterly confused. "Well, this is Scooby," Fred announced, ruffling the hair of a chocolate brown dog. 'Scooby' licked Fred's face. "Shaggy," he pointed to a scrawny looking guy in an olive green shirt. "This would be Daphne." A really pretty girl waved. She wore a lot of makeup and reminded me of Ayako. "And lastly, Velma." This was a girl with short hair like mine, glasses and an orange jumpsuit. Velma stood there uncomfortably, "Hello."

"This is my assistant Lin Koujo, and here is my other assistant, Taniyama Mai," Naru alleged apathetically, putting a hand towards us. "Matsuzaki Ayako, Houshou Takigawa, John Brown, Yasuhara Osamu, and Masako Hara."

Everyone examined one another before Yasu stepped up, giving Velma a hug, who blushed. "Nice to finally see you, Velma."

She put her arms around him also and then pulled away, "You too, Osamu."

I gaped, "Yasu-kun, you know her?" He nodded, pushing up his glasses. "International pen pal." I sweat dropped. "Only you, Yasu-kun…"

Daphne whispered to Fred, "Hey, isn't that the girl? The one who's like an amazing psychic?" Fred nodded. I tilted my head. I don't think I was supposed to over hear that.

"Who's an amazing psychic?"

**Juliet: Hey guys! So, I know I haven't updated on my other three stories, but it's because my computer has been down since last September, I've had to go through a new move, and then final exams. I will be updating the other three soon, but I'm also starting up another story. So yes, four stories at once! Now that my computer is up and running again, I can type! Thank the heavens.**

**Mai: Took you long enough.**

**Juliet: Yeah, yeah. Well I really hope you all like this story so review because I need feedback! I'm typing up the updates for my other stories as we speak.**

**Mai: Hurry!**

**Juliet: Oh, I will. And I'm just so sorry that you guys had to wait nearly a whole year to hear from me! :'( But I'm back and better than ever! REVIEW!**


	2. Trouble Found Me

**Juliet: Hello! And here is chapter two!**

**Mai: mydarlingjuliet doesn't own Ghost Hunt or anything in these chapters.**

**Juliet: Why thank you dear Mai-chan~**

_Flashback_

_Daphne whispered to Fred, "Hey, isn't that the girl? The one who's like an amazing psychic?" Fred nodded. I tilted my head. I don't think I was supposed to over hear that._

"_Who's an amazing psychic?"_

_End of Flashback_

The two grew rigid. Daphne was about to respond, but Velma cut her off, "You all. I've read into you guys from a few people who have had their cases taken by you all. They all say your amazing psychics."

I was going to protest how Daphne said 'she' instead of 'they', but Naru tapped my back with his hand. That's when I knew to just close my mouth. As an alternative thing to say, I mentioned, "Thank you. That's very kind."

They nodded their heads. "So, now that we've established introductions, Mai, tea. Yasuhara-san, look into background information on this island. Matsuzaki-san, go with Brown-san and Hara-san to do a few rounds of the campsite. Takigawa, when Mai gets back, go with her to take temperature readings, then I'll need you both to set up mikes and cameras wherever Hara-san informs us has the most paranormal activity. "

Ayako nudged at my shoulder again. I giggled, "He said go with John and Masako to do rounds."

The priestess grudgingly followed her partners, grumbling about how she always gets the worst people assigned with her.

I walked over to Selena, asking her in my English, "Do yu mind if I use yow kitchen?" She laughed, nodding. "I'll show you to it then, Mai-san." "Tank you, Miss Jennings."

She shook her head, "Oh no, no, please call me Selena."

I took the time spent walking to the kitchen to observe the campgrounds. It was big. Very big. There were a few particular spots where I felt uneasy. Near one of the cabins, by the girl's restroom, around the trail, and by the camp flag- dead center in the camp.

My spine jolted especially near the trails and the one cabin. We soon approached a large wooden building. Like a bigger version of the cabins.

"This is the kitchen where the meals get cooked and right next door is the dining hall. Go ahead inside and ask for Daniel, our head chef. Tell him I said it was alright for you to be in the kitchen. Ask him for a teapot and some tea, he'll set you up."

"Th-thank you, Selena." I silently cheered. I got the /th/ sound right!

Warily, I walked into the kitchen. About five different chefs were buzzing around making food. The sweet scent of something unfamiliar took over my senses. No one seemed to notice me yet.

While one of the cooks walked off to go get an ingredient, I peered into her vast pot. Inside was something similar looking to soba noodles, boiling in water with some seasonings floating around.

I glanced into the next thing cooking to find a rosy red sauce with a few parsley leaves and cut up meat. American meat. I've seen it before- a hot dog, I think was what they called it? Well anyway, it smelled amazing!

Not wasting any more time, I began talking to the first chef I saw, "Excuse meh, sir?

He turned around, startled by my soft voice. "Um, yes? And who might you be, little girl?" His nametag read Daniel Meyer.

I bit my tongue, not wanting to anger him, "I am fifteen, sir. I have pewmission fwom Selena to be able to use this kitchen. And if it's not too much twouble, could you tell me where the tea pots and tea awe?"

Soon realizing I was just a foreigner, he jumped, "Oh, I'm terribly sorry, miss. Didn't mean to mix you up like that. Thought you were a worker's daughter from around here. And yeah, I can do that."

"Its awight." I told him, smiling sweetly. I followed the man around to the back of a kitchen. There was a miniature sink, a stove and a couple of cabinets. He opened one and showed me an assortment of tea pots, maybe five or six different ones. And in another cupboard were different jars with labeling all over. The tea.

"Will this be alright?" I beamed. "Yes sir, th-thank you." With a wave, he left back to his station.

I began by grabbing a darling silver tea pot with flowery engravings around the edges. I turned on the tap and filled it up with some water, setting it on the stove and turning up the heat to let it boil. Standing on the tips of my toes, I shifted around the tea cupboard, looking for a good brew. I settled on a mix I picked up from my mother, collecting other ingredients from around the kitchen. Combining Chamomile, a pinch of green leaves, half a handful of dried oranges (peeled pieces), and dried sunflower petals, I mixed in my mother's tasty creation. And for safety measures I added a dab of vanilla. Even though vanilla isn't normally put into tea, if you add a salt like amount into my mother's concoction, it really brings out the flavor.

This tea is something we always used to make together, and eventually came up with the name for it. We call it Sugar Blossom Tea. Kinky, but cute.

The tea kettle whistled and I started on putting everything together. Straining what was left of my ingredients, and then pouring the contents into a few tea cups. I figured everyone else might like some as well.

Looking through a couple cabinets, I found a lovely silver tray to set each cup on. Gently, I placed each cup down then turned off the stove and picked up the goodies, heading for the door. As I was leaving I called out, "Th-thanks sir! I'll beh back latur!"

In reply Daniel shouted, "Of course! No problem miss!"

In one swift motion I opened the kitchen door and began my walk through the camp grounds. The sweet aroma of my tea lingered in the air. I took in a good whiff and smiled. A few campers passing bye could smell it, too, because they looked right at me and called out, "Smells great. Make me some later, miss?"

I laughed and nodded, continuing to the Rec Hall. As soon as I stepped in, I was face to face with Daphne. Startled, I in took a wisp of air.

"Oh! I'm sorry, Mai!"

After regaining my posture, I told her calmly, "No, it's awight Daphne." Looking around, I noticed that no one was here anymore.

Noticing my puzzlement, the teen explained, "Everyone went to set up a joint base in a spare cabin. I was waiting for you to come back to let you know."

A smile graced my lips, "Thank you. Pl-lease have a cup uf tea." Luckily, I had made a few extra cups for the other team. Just in case.

"Oh thanks Mai! You didn't have to do that," She giggled, accepting one of the many tea cups on my tray. She lifted it to her nose and sniffed it slowly, then took a small sip, "Tastes amazing! And that looks kind of heavy. Do you need help carrying some?"

I shook my head politely, "Thanks, and I am otay. I'm uwsed to carryinhg heafy stuff."

The girl chuckled and gave in, "Alright, if you say so. And your English is pretty good." Daphne commented as we walked.

"Thank you. I've bhen practycing."

Daphne blinked before giving in to another fit of giggles, "Not practycing, Mai. It's prac-tis-ing."

I tilted my head and tried again, "Pr-pract-practicing?"

"Yay!" She squealed. "Good job." I sweat dropped. I feel like I'm four again…

Before we knew it, we were standing in front of the cabin that would be known as our 'joint base'. The sounds of chatter overcame our ears. Fred was speaking to Bou-san.

"You know, my team has never used a base before. And actually, we don't even use much equipment. Just a computer normally. I don't see why you'd need all this. It's probably a bad guy in some suit. Normally is."

Bou-san scoffed, "Sure. Look kid, you're probably used to goofing off with your friends about this stuff, but its serious business. Not once in my entire career of ghost hunting has the culprit ever been some man in a suit. It's either a spirit of some sort, or faulty wiring or other electrical problem. The answer is either paranormal or scientifically logical. Never a man in a suit."

I took this moment to turn the door knob before things got heated, "Hey guys! Tea is hewe!"

Daphne came in after me, looking rather amazed. She took a spot beside Velma, who was observing all of the equipment, deep in trance.

"I maye sum fo everywon. Please, take a cup."

I began walking around the cabin, handing out a tea cup to everyone present in the room. Only three cups were left for Ayako, Masako, and John. I set the platter down on a coffee table and took a seat on the plush leather couch, crossing my legs and sipping my tea.

Fred hooted and exclaimed, "This stuff is great! You know, in America we don't normally drink this stuff, but man, is it awesome!"

Shaggy and Scooby bobbed their heads in agreement, "Like, great job Mai."

I flushed pink, "Arigatou…" I whispered.

"Mai," Naru called from his seat in front of the monitors. I peeked up to see him staring straight at me. The room was quite until he spoke again, "While you were gone, did you feel anything at all?"

I put my hands up in defense after setting down my cup and sweat dropped, "W-Why do you ask me?" The impatient teen sighed, "Because Mai, you _are_ psychic." "Oh, right," I stuttered.

"Air headed as always, "Monk breathed, resting a hand on my hand. I shooed him off, "Hush, old man." He chuckled. Naru coughed, "Mai."

"Hm? Oh, sorwy. I…um…felt a little uneasy around one uf the cabins, by the girl's restbroom, around the truil, and by the cahmp flag. Mustly by the truil and the cabin." By the end of my sentence I was tongue tied. English is difficult…

"The truil?" Bou-san questioned. Lin piped in, "I believe she means 'trail', Takigawa-san." I was shocked. Lin spoke English, too? But he was another Naru. Naru's could do anything…

Velma raised her glasses, "What do you mean by you 'felt' something?"

I tilted my head and looked at her. What did I mean? "It's- it's like a fewling in my gut tat tells me somethink is wrong."

"Interesting," she commented. Suddenly, the door opened and in stepped the trio.

Ayako groaned, but quickly stopped and stood up straight, "I smell Mai's tea. Where is it?" I laughed. And pointed to the tray on the table. "Yes!" She cheered, and went for a cup. John and Masako followed in suit, taking a seat on an available chair.

"What did she say," Daphne asked. I giggled more.

This time, Yasu answered, "She said that she could smell Mai's tea." And another one who speaks perfect English…

"Hara-san, did you sense anything?" "There is more than one spirit residing here. I couldn't tell you how many or anything else. The most amount of paranormal energy was around the trail. There was a rather high amount near a cabin, as well."

Everyone exchanged glances. At least we knew where the most energy was.

"Takigawa-san, Mai, take temperature readings around the spots Mai mentioned earlier. I want cameras set up there as well, along with a mike. Also, I need a camera up in the Rec Hall. Matsuzaki-san, get to work on making a charm for base. Yasuhara-san, continue on with research. Hara-san and Brown-san, collect information from workers and campers. Be discrete. Take a walkie talkie with you."

And just like that everyone was up and off to do work. Fred sweat dropped. "Okay team, let's split up and look for clues. Daphne and I will go look around the camp. Velma, Shaggy and Scooby will go check out that trail. Be on the lookout gang. We'll meet back here in two hours."

I gathered around everyone else, waiting in line for my walkie talkie. Finally, I was up to grab one from the box. The same time I reached my hand down for the last one, so did Masako. I blinked and glanced at her. Turning around I noticed everyone else already had one. We were short one? I was too slow and Masako reached in and grabbed it, stalking off with a kimono sleeve to her mouth, smirking. I gaped, "Huh?"

I cleared my throat and went over to the bassist. "Bou-san…We're short a walkie talkie." It felt good to speak Japanese again.

He scrunched up his eyebrows, "We are?" I nodded my head and he flashed me his signature grin and a thumbs up. "No problem kiddo. We're going to be together anyway. If worse comes to worse than here," he said, reaching in his pants pocket, "Take my phone with you and I'll carry the walkie talkie. There's a bigger chance of this thing losing battery than you losing signal here."

I smiled, "Thanks, Bou-san." In all probability, Bou-san probably had that backwards, but I'd rather not crush his spirit. If something bad happens I have a voice. The camp is littered with people, so surely someone would hear me.

He patted my head and grabbed a clipboard, pen and temperature reader, handing it to me. He picked up a small backpack filled with cameras and mikes and made for the door, "Ready?" He called out from behind him.

"Ready," I answered, following him.

"Mai, what was first on the list?" I tried to recall the places where I felt unease earlier. "Well, the closest one to here would be the flag. It's in the center of the campsite." My partner nodded and put a hand out in front of him, "Lead the way my dear."

I laughed, "Good, I'd hate to see us get lost at a camp." "With you, we just might." I glared. "Ha ha, very funny." Sticking my tongue out, I was caught off guard when my foot tripped over a rock. My teeth clamped down on my lip and I was sent face first into the rubble. I yelped.

"Ouch, ouch, ouch…" In-between his fit of laughter, Bou-san got on his knees and offered me a hand. I shot him another death ray. Tears pricked my eyes slightly, but I wiped them away. I felt something trickling down my lip and my leg. I touched my lip and pulled away. A red substance covered my two fingers. Glancing down, I noticed my knee was scratched pretty badly, too.

Bou-san quickly stopped laughing when he saw the blood. Examining me, he let out a breath, "Only scratches. Thankfully I brought some band aids. Your lip might be swelled tonight because we don't have ice. If you want, we can go down to the kitchen and-"

I smiled, "No, its okay. Band aids will be fine." My father like figure nodded and began sifting through his bag. "Sorry, Mai-chan."

I frowned, "For what?" "Well," he started, "For making you fall. You got hurt."

"Yeah, but it's not entirely your fault. It was an accident. And it's nothing major. I'm fine," I smiled, getting to my feet as he finished applying some Neosporin and a band aid to my knee.

He glanced at the dirt, "If you say so…Now come here, I need to wipe up your lip and put a band aid on it." My knee stung a little, but other than that it felt fine. It was my lip that was really sore. I feel like I lost a chunk of lip meat… Bou-san looked through his bag once more and pulled out carry around tissues. I gave him a questioning glance. He ignored me and began dabbing my lip with a tissue.

"Well, there goes ten minutes…" I muttered.

"Hold still and stop talking," Bou-san advised, cleaning the cut up nice before gently laying a band aid on top. "Phew," He sighed, standing once more. He took the back of his arm and wipe away the sweat building up on his forehead. "You broke skin when you bit you lip. You'll probably need a few stitches. Let's head back now and-"

"No, I'll be fine. I can hold out till we finish." "But Mai, you could get infected and-"Before he could protest more, I put a hand up. "Nope. C'mon, let's get this done before two. I plan on making it to lunch today."

Groaning, the man messaged his temples, "Air headed _and_ thick headed…" A grin found its way up to his lips. "Hai, Hai. To the flag pole." Picking back up his bag, I reached for my clipboard and temp. recorder. "Mm."

It was no less than two minutes before we were at our destination. Bou-san observed the pole. "So, where do you think Naru-chan will want the camera and mike? He wasn't very specific this time…"

I thought it over, putting a hand to my chin. "Dunno. I guess it'll be hard to put the camera in a spot because then we'll only get one side. We have an entire 360 to cover. We could always use two cameras. And the mikes…If we put them low, we might not hear things from far up, but if we put them far up, we won't hear things from down low. And how are we supposed to get to the top of this thing anyhow?"

Bou-san rubbed the back of his head. "Well, I only have enough cameras so it's one for each spot. And I really don't feeling like going back for another… Here, I've got an idea. If we can get this thing on that golden ball at the top of the flag pole and have it point down, we'll cover all around it. For the mikes, we'll put them in the middle of the flag. And we'll probably have to talk with Selena about that last one."

I nodded, following along, "Yeah, but with the mikes, kids will see them or they could get damaged because they aren't hidden." I pointed out.

"Then we'll play it on the safe side and assume that there isn't anything important to hear from high up. I'll set up the mike in the bushes, attached to the pole. You take the other stuff and go on ahead to the next spot. I'll get the camera and mike up here. We'll cover ground faster."

I agreed, "Alright. Let me do a temperature reading first. And actually, it's kinda chilly here, isn't it?"  
>After a second of thinking about it, the monk added, "Yeah, not as warm as it was when we stopped. Check it out."<p>

I began taking a scan of the area. I checked the temperature near the floor, in the middle, and stood up high around the flagpole. Finished with the short test, I started jotting things down on the clipboard.

"Okay Bou-san, I'm heading off. I'll see you in a bit." He waved me off. I hiked the backpack on my back and slipped the temp. reader inside. I sighed. The temperature was the same on each level. Regular degrees Celsius outside is 37. Around the flagpole it was 35. That isn't too bad…

With a frown, I continued onward. The next closest place would be…the cabin. The restroom was two cabins down. I could take care of the trail last.

As I was in thought, I bumped into someone. I stumbled back and almost fell, but the person grabbed my wrist and steadied me. "Oh, I'm sorry!" I exclaimed in Japanese. I then realized my mistake and blushed, covering my face, prepared to be ridiculed. How embarrassing…

A familiar voice chuckled, "Mai? Sorry, my fault. And I may not know Japanese, but I'm guessing you said sorry?" Fred Jones. Daphne was standing right behind him.

I nodded. "P-Please exuise me Fred. I've got some work t-to finsh."

He shook his head, "Nah, you're alright. So, your boss sure is strict, isn't he?" I glanced up. What was he getting at? "Nowt really," I answered, ready to just leave already.

"But he doesn't even say please and thank you. All he does is boss you around," Daphne added, getting into the conversation.

I sighed and looked into their eyes, "Tat mayt be true, but he _is_ the b-boss. And we don't mind. It's what makes Nawu, Nawu. Now, if you'll exuise me, I've got to finsh my work." The two mystery solvers had their eyes on me as I left. My eye twitched. Sure, they were right, but so was I.

Fred and Daphne silently watched the energetic teen leave. Daphne let out a breath of air and faced her friend, "Do you think we were a little mean?"

The man scoffed, "Nonsense Daph. All we did was told her what's true. Shibuya _is_ a prick. Or I think she called him Nawu."

She sighed, "Alright… So, how do you think this mystery will turn out?"

Fred used his trademark smile and winked at his companion. "The same way it always turns out, Daph." Daphne sighed and followed after her friend.

The floorboard creaked underneath my feet. I bit my lip and continued to look around. Nothing out of the ordinary. Old cabin, cobwebs, dusty furniture, hole in the- My foot caught on a single chipped up floorboard and it collapsed beneath me. I squealed and hugged myself tightly. Half of my leg was beneath the cabin and rest of me above it. I winced, feeling the broken wood trail over my skin, marking it with small gashes. I attempted to lift my foot back out but it was stuck. The more I moved, the more I hurt myself.

"Great," I said enthusiastically.

Setting down the backpack and clipboard beside me, I went to work on taking apart the rest of the board. Only a fourth of it came down with my leg, so I had another three to take out. My hands slid beside my knee. That was where the lowest visible part of my leg was. I carefully scooted my hands along my knee until they were gripping the underside of the board. With my hands in the hole as well, it was a tight fit, and I ended up scratching myself up more. My hands palmed against the moldy wood and I nearly gagged. It was disgustingly slimy and in some parts crunchy, which I'm guessing is from a dead bug body. Ignoring that thought, I started to push up on the floor board, hoping it would budge. I noted that part of it lifted upwards and my hope blossomed.

Until I realized it would budge no more than that. It was nailed against the other pieces of wood around me, securing it so something like the floor breaking wouldn't happen. But I'm me and it did happen. I wouldn't be able to push it up, but maybe I could try something else. The gears in my head began to turn and suddenly I was thankful that I paid _some_ attention in my engineering class. Instead of pushing it off, I could rip and tear at the parts around my leg until I made enough space for me to climb out. I smiled triumphantly. _Naru might've been proud. _I thought. After a second of idly smiling, I blushed and shook my head, turning my attention back to the main problem.

My hands slowly collected themselves around my knee once more. I let my fingers glide gently over the edge of the board where I was caught. I cringed. It was pretty sharp. Sucking in a breath of air, I decided it was either I calmly wait here for someone to look for me or hurt myself in the process of helping myself. The first one could take hours, and I'd much rather save myself this time. No more being such a damsel in distress. I gave myself a nod of encouragement and coiled my fingers around the board. Small amounts of blood seeped from my hands. I ignored them and began pulling. At first, nothing was happening and I began to get discouraged. Grunting, I pulled a little harder, twisting the board sideways a little at the same time. Soon, the years of this cabin being placed here gave in and chunks of the board slowly began to come off. They were somewhat soggy from all of the mildew and whatnot below. I grinned and continued ripping chunks off one at a time, throwing them behind me in the process. As the pile of floorboard pieces behind me grew, so did the blisters on my hands and the bloody color they became. Sweat pooled around my forehead but I continued to take the thing apart. The pointy pressure around my leg lessened as I went on and about twenty or thirty minutes later, I couldn't feel it at all. I yanked my right leg free and collapsed next to the hole, panting. Once I collected my breath enough I sat up and nearly vomited. Nausea overcame me. I swallowed the lump in my throat and took even breaths to calm myself. I guess I overworked it a bit. Bright red scratches colored my leg from the ankle to the knee. Around my knees was the worst damage, but nothing a little cleanup and some bandages won't fix. I put my hands out in front of me for inspection. Ouch. Well…that doesn't look too pretty. I crinkled my nose and carefully stood up, using a nearby table for balance. Once standing, I carefully walked around the cabin until I found a small bathroom. My eyebrows furrowed together in confusion. Most cabins don't have a bathroom, even if they are this small.

Curiosity got the best of me and I explored the empty space. I opened up the bottom cabinets to find a first aid kit, toilet cleaner and toilet paper. I reached for the first aid kit and began to cough. My movement sent dust flying everywhere. I swiped around my face and shut my eyes, waiting for it to pass. A small sneeze left my nose and I sniffled. Setting the kit on the sink counter, I observed that there was a single medicinal cupboard that also served as a side mirror. A small click sounded out as I opened it. I stumbled back, startled, before catching my breath once more. Just a spider living inside. Well, a big spider, but a spider nonetheless. And its only companions a bottle of pills. I narrowed my eyes on the pill bottle before snatching it quickly, hoping not to get caught by the deadly looking thing beside it. I was lucky as it looked ready to lunge forward on me, so I quickly shut the cupboard, letting out a puff of air. The bottle, as was everything else here, was dusty and old. I turned to the sink and twisted the cold water knob, hoping something would come out. Fortunately, a small stream of somewhat clear water poured from the faucet.

"Cool," I grinned.

Warily, I ran the bottle under the water and gently rubbed off all the grime from it. The words surrounding it quickly became visible and I shut off the tap. I pulled my shirt away from my skin and used it to wipe the moisture from the bottle. It was the size of your average pharmacy prescription. I examined the letters on the tag. Carlile, A. Ellis. The date this was issued made my eyes widen. October 31st, 1995. That was sixteen years ago. This camp seems fairly knew. I made a mental note to ask Selena when it opened, and maybe find out who this 'Ellis' was. I glanced back at the bottle again before opening it shyly. A pill, still looking fresh and new, rolled out. One half of the capsule red, the other black. Weird. I haven't seen too many black pills before. But then again, I don't ever buy any medication. Plus if this was really dated so long ago they might've been making different types of pills. I wasn't positive. The tag didn't say anything about what it was for, which I also found peculiar. It did, however, show how much to take and when. One every twelve hours, so two a day. I know I really shouldn't mess with things like this because I'm inexperienced, but something inside me told me to take this pill. A feeling just kept nagging at me to do it. And for some strange reason I really knew that I shouldn't, even though a part of me wanted to. But in the end, I silently popped the thing into my mouth, swallowing without further hesitation. Instant regret slammed into me and the only thought I could think of was, _Why am I so damn stupid? _

I slid the bottle into my pocket and made sure it was unnoticeable. Once that was accomplished I took my temperature readings and set up a camera in the bathroom –of all places I felt it necessary- and a mike near the bed. I packed up my gear and slung the backpack over my shoulder. I felt bad about tearing up the floor board but hey, it needed to be done. A thought hit me and I quickly jogged back to the bathroom. My leg was feeling better and I managed to wash off most of the blood from my hands. The first aid kit sat on the sink counter right where I left it. I unhinged it and the top flew open. Band aids, gauze wrap and Neosporin. I took the Neosporin first and dabbed some along the worst parts of my leg and then on the blisters surrounding my palms. The scratches on my leg didn't really need band aids. I only wrapped up my knee in some gauze wrap and then scattered the colorful band aids on my hands. By the time I was done, both of my palms were a rainbow of color. About two or three protective patches were secure on each finger and about four more on each of my palms, plus two on the backside of my left hand. I was sure to be asked what happened when I get back to base. I did an adequate job but the first thing Ayako will do is treat it better. Though I should be fine. I can only imagine Bou-san's face as he looks at me.

_Mai, what happened?_

_Oh nothing. I fell in a hole in the floor. You know the usual._

And then Ayako will go all purse-ninja on his ass and it'll be very loud. I giggled lightly and took my leave. Two cabins down was a slightly larger one where I saw I few girls walk into. The girls' restroom. Well, I don't exactly appear to be a camper with my backpack and clipboard, but take that away and bam. Instant camper Mai Taniyama.

I paced myself and entered. It was very clean for a camp bathroom. Four nice shower stalls and five bathrooms opposite of them, along with three different sinks and two hand towel dispensers. It was spacey enough. The door swung shut behind me and I jumped. I nervously laughed. Someone tapped my shoulder. I looked up.

A skinny girl, tall, with her blonde curls fastened into a messy ponytail and her olive colored eyes gleaming brilliantly looked into mine. She was wearing nothing but a robe. I assumed she was ready for her shower.

"Are you a camper?" she asked. Her voice wasn't soft, but wasn't rough either. It was graceful. I became transfixed until she waved a hand in front of my face.

"Hello? Camper or staff or…?" I laughed slightly, embarrassed.

"You could say…staff." The girl wasn't affected towards my poor pronunciation skills or the fact that I had an accent.

She smiled, "Cool. There was a rumor going around about some ghost busters coming to our camp. Weird things happening, you know? So, you them?"

I wasn't entirely sure how to respond to that. I didn't think the campers was that aware...? But it seems like even they have had their fair share of gossip about all this.

"Ghowt _hunters_," I corrected, "And yes, I am. I suppose youw a camper heye?"

She blinked before cracking up and patting my arm, "You're funny. Yeah, I'm a camper here. And I'm sure you've heard of the incidents with the girls disappearing?"

I nodded in a response and she grimly smiled, dropping her robe completely. I blushed like mad and turned away. Naked bodies weren't really my thing…

"It's okay, look. I want you to see." The way she'd phrase that seemed more intimate than it sounded. I swallowed and turned back to face here. I wasn't sure exactly about what she wanted me to see and then I noticed it. On her left breast was some weird marking.

My eyes widened and I unconsciously stepped forward. "That mak… The head cowseller told me about it…" I trailed off, studying the odd thing. It was a deep purple color and almost looked like a word. But not English. Or Japanese. It seemed familiar to me, as though I'd seen something like it before. Just one word is what it looked like. Not a mark. My hand reeled forward and I gently touched it. The girl was unphased. I wasn't expecting anything to happen, so when my vision distorted and everything was tipped over, I was very off guard. My whole body fell sideways and I hit the wall. Everything was merging with black and spinning. An extreme headache was coming my way but I focused on my vision. Or at least tried to. I faintly heard the girl from earlier beside me, asking me what was wrong. I think I was staring into her eyes. Yes. I saw that pretty olive color. Her eyes. At a leisure pace, everything in my field of sight went back to normal. I was still a bit dizzy, but overall I was alright. I made no motion to move at the moment, though. Suddenly I was more aware of what was going on. A group of girls surrounded me, including the one girl, but now she was covered up.

"What-"

"Happened!" Someone finished for me. I looked up to see some red head speaking up.

"I'm fine," I began, using the wall to help me stand. "It happens a-a lot… that mak…kinda seems like a word, doesn't it? Not English. Looks…tattooed…" I wasn't at all concerned about how slow I was talking.

"Miki, help her up," the red head said. Miki? Ah, the blonde. She came to my aid and I was now being supported by her arm around my waist. For maybe five minutes I stood there without talking, being bombarded with questions. Finally I felt okay enough to stand on my own and let go of Miki.

"T-Thank you, Miki." I put my pointer finger up to my lips, indicating to be quiet. "Can you all keep this a secret? No telling, okay?" It would be trouble if Naru knew I nearly passed out for touching a girl's breast. The thought made a pink creep onto my cheeks and I had to look away for the staring faces of the campers.

A girl with brown hair and purple highlights smiled lightly, putting her finger up to her lips as well. "No telling, we promise." A few seconds later everyone agreed, nodding heads and saying of course.

I bowed, "Thank you very much." I could note my pronunciation was getting much better the more I spoke. "If you don't mind I need to set up an EVP and take some temperature readings. Then I'll be on my way."

"An EVP?" The red head said. Miki shushed her, "Let her do her work, Ginger." Ginger?

I shook my head and gave a whole hearted smile. "No ploblem. An EVP is…well basically it pincks up sownds and voices that the huhan ear cannot hear."

Purple highlight girl spoke up, "Duh, Ginger. Everyone knows that." She scoffed jokingly, "Hardly. That would be weirdoes like _you_, Ana." Everyone laughed. Even I couldn't restrain a small chuckle. I made a small gesture with my hand, "Go ahead, I'll owny be one mint."

The laughter continued and then I realized my mistake. My cheeks flared and I got to work while the girls dispersed. Note to self, minute is _not_ pronounced 'mint'. Temperature was only a degree lower than outside. And I felt like there shouldn't be a camera in here. It felt…dirty. I was about ready to go before I was tapped once again on my shoulder. Miki hovered over me, arms crossed behind her, dressed in a pair of khaki shorts, a blue t-shirt and white suspenders.

"I never caught your name," she told me.

"Mai, call me Mai." She nodded and gave a toothy grin, "I hope I see you around camp, then, Mai!"

I agreed and smiled, waving goodbye. As I walked out the door I was feeling more nauseous but held down anything that might come up, hoping it would subdue. I've hit the cabin and the bathroom and Bou-san has the flagpole. I wonder how he's doing… I pushed the thought out of my mind and rested an arm around my stomach, heading for the trail.

The nausea I felt was like when you get hungry, but don't eat and then the feeling subsides, but then later on you have this empty feeling inside you and you feel like if you eat, you'll hurl, but if you don't eat, you'll hurl. Either way you know something's gonna be coming up, and it won't be pretty. I could actually be experiencing just that, but somehow I knew that my stomach wasn't the cause of it. Maybe it has something to do with that mark… and as if on cue I doubled over in pain. Dropping to my knees, I clutched my stomach tighter and shut my eyes. I was at the front of the trail by now and no one seemed to be around. The sensation was unbearable. As though someone took a screwdriver and jammed it into the center of my stomach, slowly twisting it and coiling my insides around it. I could no longer hold it in and leaned over a small shrub, emptying what little I had stored in my belly. Once finished I shakily wiped my mouth with a leaf and kneeled there for a few seconds before getting up on unsteady legs.

I needed to get to the center of the trail and set up the equipment for Naru. With new determination, I scampered onto the trail. I'll be fine. Just get a bit to eat once I get back to base. But it seemed like the more I thought of food, the more I wanted to just take a long nap and _not_ feel anything for awhile.

Maybe ten times I nearly tripped on tree roots or random branches or rocks, and out of those ten times I succeeded like seven. The wilderness was so _big_. So many different things in so many different places. My head started to spin so I rested on a tree stump. How would I even know where the middle of the trail was?

I groaned and looked around. Among the trees and bushes and boulders was a beige stone path. Leaves flitted around it but you could easily tell it was there. The path ran in three directions. One was from the way I came, and then it split into a fork. You could either go left or right. Those were the ways you could go while staying on the path. Straying off of it would be going straight or further right or left. I stood back up and exhaled a breath. Pain or no pain, I'll have to keep going.

I thought about just going left, but I felt like I should go straight. A feeling nagged at me to go there, and boy, have I been having a lot of 'feelings' lately. Normally I don't listen to my instincts but I couldn't help it when my own two feet marched dead in between the paths I was supposed to take. Nothing out of the ordinary and eventually I wasn't paying any attention to anything other than the woods. It was like I wasn't in my body. I was oblivious. So when I came to my senses and stopped and couldn't see any trail or sign of human life force other than my own, panic set it. I twirled around and a feeling of dread overcame me. Not because I was lost or alone, but because my own idiocy led me into the middle of the woods on an island that happened to be haunted and my senses were fully aware. Because my ears twitched when the sound of a twig on the ground cracked ten feet behind me. Because I knew I didn't want to turn around.

Silent tears started to trace down my cheeks and I whispered in a raspy voice, "Who's there?"

**Juliet: Hey, it's been a long time. I'm a good writer, but really suck at getting deadlines done and finishing things. I just get so many ideas at once. **

**Mai: Yeah, you do suck. Your writing skills are pretty amazing when you really try, but you have no sense to finish things at all.**

**Juliet: Yeah and I'm sorry for that. I just hope I still have readers.**

**Mai: Probably not after all the time you spend thinking instead of writing.**

**Juliet: True.**

**Mai: Well, review if you're oh so kind.**


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